Balanced thermostatic valve structure



Sept. 1, 1964 .1. E. WOODS 3,146,946

BALANCED THERMOSTATIC VALVE STRUCTURE Filed July 5, 1961 76 FIG-1 44 INVENTOR. 44 22 24 JOHN E. WOODS "Wm W ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,146,946 BALANCED THERMOSTATIC VALVE STRUCTURE John E. Woods, Cohasset, Mass, assignor to Standard- Thomson Corporation, Waltham, Mass, a corporation of Delaware Filed July 3, 1961, Ser. No. 121,754 4 Claims. (Cl. 236--34) This invention relates to fluid control structure. The invention relates more particularly to fluid valve apparatus. The invention relates still more particularly to thermal responsive fluid valve apparatus. However, the invention is not so limited.

The invention is particularly adapted for use in the cooling system of an internal combustion engine. However, the invention has many other applications and is not limited to such use.

An object of this invention is to provide thermal responsive fluid valve apparatus which has accurate and consistent operation which is not affected by the pressure of the fluid controlled thereby.

Another object of this invention is to provide such fluid control apparatus which can be produced at relatively low costs and which is long-lived.

Other objects and advantages reside in the construction of parts, the combination thereof, the method of manufacture, and the mode of operation, as will become more apparent from the following description.

In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a sectional view of the apparatus of this invention showing the valve members in closed position.

FIGURE 2 is a sectional View, with parts broken away, taken substantially on line 22 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a view taken substantially on line 3-3 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view, similar to FIGURE 1, showing the valve members of the apparatus in an open position.

Referring to the drawing in detail, fluid control structure of this invention comprises a body member having an annular tapered portion or valve seat 12, providing a fluid port therethrough. The body member 10 has an inlet side, herein shown as the lower side, and an outlet side, herein shown as the upper side. Support structure in the form of a bridge 16 is attached to the body member 10 and extends therefrom on the outlet side of the fluid port, as shown in FIGURES l and 4. A rod member or piston member 18 is carried by the bridge 16 and extends therefrom through the fluid port formed by the valve seat 12.

A plurality of arm members 20 are carried by the body member 10 and extend therefrom on the inlet side of the fluid port. Attached to the arm members 20 is a rigid wall 22 which is shown as having a recessed portion 24 provided with an opening therethrough. A rigid closed container 26 is slidably movable through the opening in the wall 22. The rod member or piston member 18 is attached to the bridge 16 and slidably extends into the container 26 through an opening therein. The container 26 may have therein any suitable thermally responsive work producing means operable upon the rod or piston 18 so that upon subjection of the container to temperatures above a given value, the work producing means causes relative movement between the container 26 and the piston member 18.

Suitable sealing means 319 is shown carried by the rigid wall 22 in engagement With the container 26 to prevent passage of fluid between the rigid wall 22 and the container 26.

A flexible tubular wall 32 is attached to the rigid wall. 22 and extends from the rigid wall 22 toward the valve seat 12 of the body member 10. The flexible wall 32 Fee is expansible and contractible in length between the rigid wall 22 and the valve seat 12 of the body member 10. The flexible wall 32 has a rigid engagement portion 34 which is engageable with the valve seat 12 of the body member 19. When the engagement portion 34 is in engagement with the valve seat 12, the fluid port formed by the valve seat 12 is closed.

Any suitable connector means 36, herein shown as a disc, attaches the flexible wall 32 to the container 26 so that the flexible wall 32 is expansible or contractible in length with movement of the container 26. Connector means 36 is shown as being in sliding relation with the arm members 20.

A helical compression spring 40 engages the connector means 36 and the rigid wall 22. The spring 40 urges the container 26 and the engagement portion 34 of the flexible wall 32 toward the valve seat 12.

Operation The body member 10 is adapted to be disposed in a fluid conduit system so that the container 26 is upstream. When the fluid engaging the container 26 is below a given temperature, the spring 40 maintains the engagement portion 34 of the flexible wall 32 in engagement with the valve seat 12. When the engagement portion 34 of the flexible wall 32 is in engagement with the valve seat 12 of the body member 10 there is no fluid flow from the inlet side of the fluid port to the outlet side thereof.

If the temperature of the fluid engaging the container 26 increases above a given predetermined value, the thermal responsive work producing means within the container 26 causes relative movement between the container 26 and the rod or piston 18. Since the rod 18 is attached to the bridge 16, the rod 18 does not move. Therefore, the container 26 is moved in a direction from the bridge 16. Movement of the container 26 causes movement of the engagement portion 34 of the flexible wall 32. This movement of the container 26 and the engagement portion 34 is against the forces of the spring 46. This movement of the engagement portion 34 causes contraction of the length of the flexible wall 32, as shown in FIGURE 4. Movement of the engagement portion 34 of the flexible wall 32 away from the valve seat 12 permits fluid to flow through the fluid port formed by the valve seat 12, as shown by arrows 44 in FIGURE 4.

When the temperature of the fluid in engagement with the container 26 decreases, the force of the thermal responsive work producing means within the container becomes less. Thus, the spring 40 is able to force the container 26 and the engagement portion 34 of the wall 32 toward the valve seat 12. Thus, the flexible wall 32 expands in length until the engagement portion 34 contacts the valve seat 12.

Due to the fact that the diameter of the flexible wall 32 is substantially equal to the diameter of the engagement portion 34 thereof, a balanced valve structure is provided. Thus, the pressure of the fluid controlled by the structure of this invention has no perceptible eifect upon the movement of the engagement portion 34 toward or away from the valve seat 12. Therefore, in the structure as shown, fluid pressure does not appreciably affect opening or closing operation. It is to be understood, however, that the fluid control structure of this invention may be constructed with a flexible wall, such as the wall 32, but in which the flexible wall has a greater or smaller diameter than the engagement portion 34 so that the valve apparatus may be over-balanced or under-balanced with respect to fluid pressures to which it is subjected. Thus, any desired operation of the structure with respect to fluid pressures may be obtained.

Although the preferred embodiment of the device has been described, it will be understood that within the purview of this invention various changes may be made in the form, details, proportion and arrangement of parts, the combination thereof and mode of operation, which generally stated consist in a device capable of carrying out the objects set forth, as disclosed and defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. Fluid control apparatus comprising an annular body provided with a valve seat forming a flow passage therethrough, support structure carried by the body and extending therefrom, a piston attached to the support structure and extending through the flow passage, a plurality of arms attached to the support structure and extending through the flow passage, a plate attached to the arms, the plate having an opening therethrough, a container snugly positioned within the opening of the plate and reciprocally movable toward and away from the annular body, the piston extending into the container, thermal responsive means Within the container and operable upon the piston to force relative movement between the piston and the container, a flexible elongate tubular wall member attached to the plate and encompassing the arms and the container, the flexible wall member being expansible and contractible in length and having an open end thin wall portion which is movable toward and away from the valve seat of the annular body, an annular closure member attached to said portion of the flexible wall member and engageable with the valve seat, means connecting said container to the closure member for movement of the closure member with the container, and resilient means urging the closure member toward the valve seat.

2. A high pressure thermostatic fluid control device comprising:

an annular body member having a valve seat forming a fluid port therethrough,

support means attached to the body member and extending therefrom,

an apertured guide member carried by the support means at a position spaced from the body member,

a closed rigid container member slidably movable within the aperture,

a rod carried by the support means and extending into the container member,

thermally responsive force transmission means within the container member forcing relative movement between the container member and the rod when temperatures above a given value occur within the container member,

an annular movable closure member engageable with the valve seat,

means attaching the annular closure member to the container member for movement of the closure member with movement of the container member,

resilient means urging the closure member toward the rod,

sealing wall means sealing against flow of fluid between the container member and the closure member, the sealing wall means having an elongate flexible corrugated tubular portion which has an open end joined to the annular closure member, the elongate flexible corrugated tubular portion being expansible and contractible in length with movement of the closure member, the fluid port thus being closed when the closure member is in engagement with the valve seat.

3. Fluid control apparatus comprising:

a body member having a valve seat providing a flow passage having an inlet side,

support structure carried by the body member and extending therefrom at the inlet side,

a rigid wall attached to the support structure in spaced relation from the flow passage and having an opening therethrough,

a flexible elongate tubular wall attached to the rigid 4 wall and extending axially between the rigid wall and the valve seat, the flexible elongate tubular wall being expansible and contractible in length and having an end portion movable toward and away from the valve seat,

a closure element attached to the end portion of the flexible elongate tubular wall and engageable with the valve seat on the inlet side of the flow passage to close the flow passage,

a rigid container member slidably positioned within the opening of the rigid wall and movable toward and away from the valve seat,

connector means connecting the rigid container member to the closure element so that movement of the rigid container member toward and away from the flow passage causes expansion and contraction of the length of the flexible elongate tubular wall member,

a rod carried by the body member and extending into the rigid container member,

thermal responsive force transmission means within the rigid container member and operable upon the rod and the rigid container member and urging movement of the rigid container member when the temperature of the force transmission means is above a given temperature value.

4. Fluid control apparatus comprising:

an annular member having a valve seat forming a fluid support means carried by the annular member and extending therefrom,

rigid wall means carried by the support means in spaced relationship from the fluid port, the rigid wall means having an opening therethrough,

rigid container means slidably movable within said opening of the rigid wall means, the rigid container means being movable toward and away from the fluid port,

an annular closure member carried by the rigid container means and engageable with the valve seat and movable toward and away from the valve seat,

a flexible corrugated elongate tubular wall member having one end attached to the annular closure member around the periphery thereof, the other end of the tubular wall member being attached to the rigid wall means, the fluid port thus being closed when the annular closure member is in engagement with the valve seat, the flexible corrugated elongate tubular wall member encompassing the rigid container means as the rigid container means is disposed within the opening of the rigid wall means, the flexible corrugated elongate tubular wall member being expansible and contractible in length as it extends from the rigid wall means toward the valve seat, expansion and contraction in the length of the flexible corrugated elongate tubular wall means occurring with movement of the annular closure member toward and away from the valve seat,

piston means carried by the support means and extending into the container means,

thermally responsive work producing means within the container means and operable upon the piston means to cause relative movement between the piston means and the container means for relative movement between the closure member and the valve seat.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,795,860 Jaeger Mar. 10, 1931 2,082,471 Tallmadge June 1, 1937 2,797,873 Woods July 2, 1957 3,075,703 Friesmuth J an. 29, 1963 FOREIGN PATENTS 36,300 France Jan. 28, 1930 

1. FLUID CONTROL APPARATUS COMPRISING AN ANNULAR BODY PROVIDED WITH A VALVE SEAT FORMING A FLOW PASSAGE THERETHROUGH, SUPPORT STRUCTURE CARRIED BY THE BODY AND EXTENDING THEREFROM, A PISTON ATTACHED TO THE SUPPORT STRUCTURE AND EXTENDING THROUGH THE FLOW PASSAGE, A PLURALITY OF ARMS ATTACHED TO THE SUPPORT STRUCTURE AND EXTENDING THROUGH THE FLOW PASSAGE, A PLATE ATTACHED TO THE ARMS, THE PLATE HAVING AN OPENING THERETHROUGH, A CONTAINER SNUGLY POSITIONED WITHIN THE OPENING OF THE PLATE AND RECIPROCALLY MOVABLE TOWARD AND AWAY FROM THE ANNULAR BODY, THE PISTON EXTENDING INTO THE CONTAINER, THERMAL RESPONSIVE MEANS WITHIN THE CONTAINER AND OPERABLE UPON THE PISTON TO FORCE RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN THE PISTON AND THE CONTAINER, A FLEXIBLE ELONGATE TUBULAR WALL MEMBER ATTACHED TO THE PLATE AND ENCOMPASSING THE ARMS AND THE CONTAINER, THE FLEXIBLE WALL MEMBER BEING EXPANSIBLE AND CONTRACTIBLE IN LENGTH AND HAVING AN OPEN END THIN WALL PORTION WHICH IS MOVABLE TOWARD AND AWAY FROM THE VALVE SEAT OF THE ANNULAR BODY, AN ANNULAR CLOSURE MEMBER ATTACHED TO SAID PORTION OF THE FLEXIBLE WALL MEMBER AND ENGAGEABLE WITH THE VALVE SEAT, MEANS CONNECTING SAID CONTAINER TO THE CLOSURE MEMBER FOR MOVEMENT OF THE CLOSURE MEMBER WITH THE CONTAINER, AND RESILIENT MEANS URGING THE CLOSURE MEMBER TOWARD THE VALVE SEAT. 